Category Archives: JUST BECAUSE
THINKING ABOUT CONTENTMENT….:)
-CONTENTMENT-
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So simple. So elusive. So today…I am intentional.
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Contentment is…
Not letting the fear of failure stop me. When I do fail, giving myself another chance.
Looking inward instead of outward for direction.
Caring about others around me…instead of fretting about myself.
Breakfast date with sisters. Dinner and cocktails with my husband. Happy meals with my boys.
Seeing the bright side of a rainy day. Rain boots are fun, after all.
Focusing on the task at hand.
Courage to take the next step.
A morning jog. A good cup of coffee. Reading a book.
Embracing the fact that life is hard work…and that is okay. I can work. Hard. I like that.
Resting in ‘good enough’….and embracing each day with zest and determination.
Cheering on others better than me. Believing in their dreams.
Giving love freely….not seeking acceptance.
Breathing and living and believing…I have nothing to prove.
Wearing something just cause I like it.
Allowing the process to be a process.
Planning for the future. Embracing the moment.
Deep sleep.
Trusting my creativity.
Letting others in.
Asking for help.
Strength.
Settled.
Trusting my gut. Trusting others.
Smiles. Warmth. Laughter. Genuine. Hugs.
Giving freely. With no expectations.
Seeking instead of just settling for what I know.
Slowing down….allowing time for life. Dandelions. Legos. Sunday naps. Chocolate chip cookies.
Not needing to be noticed. Not afraid of standing out.
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All in all, when we get down to it, CONTENTMENT IS simply PEACE. One is impossible without the other. :)
ME AND MINE.
This is me and mine.
It is 2013! Wow….I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that another year has gone by. This year, priority over a list of goals…(which I will do) I am going to focus in on values. What are my values? What do I stand for? What does ‘life with excellence’ look like to me? This will be the platform for my goals. Anticipating!
Other NEWS…WE HAVE A WINNER to our GIVEAWAY. Thank-you to everybody that entered. We appreciate you! Check back TOMORROW for the announcement! :)
December HAPPINESS is…
truly in the LITTLE THINGS :)
AND….
TODAY is the last day to complete the survey and enter our TEAM’S TOP PICKS GIVEAWAY! If you have not already did so….you don’t want to miss out! Find ALL the details HERE.
Happy New Year, folks! I am so blessed you stop by and read this blog. See you next year. ;)
LIFE AND BOYS AND GETTING OLD;)
I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago. Yep, I will tell you….I am 35. Grimace. I have arrived at that point in life where I would rather NOT share how old I am. Actually, it kinda freaks me out. It sounds SO old…. I feel like I am STILL growing up! I have this feeling of….when I will actually be all grown up? Does that feeling ever go away?? I remember being a teenager and looking at people in their thirties and thinking they are so old and mature…kinda boring, actually.;) I thought they must have life all figured out and don’t have any insecurities about who they are and what they do. Now that I am here, I still feel like a kid….and life…..will I ever have it all figured out?
But you know what I am learning? Life is journey. Yeah, yeah…..heard that ten million times, you are saying. Yeah, me to. Trite. I know. But REALLY…..hear me out….it IS a journey. And that is what I am realizing at this ‘OLD’ stage of life. Each day we make decisions. They may feel insignificant. And they may be. At least some of them. But these little decisions. These steps in a direction. They add up. Day after day. Moment after moment. One foot in front of the other…..they take me somewhere. Some steps may be a battle. Others are as easy as breathing. Some may feel trivial. Others may feel like I just hurdled a mountain. These steps….require a great deal of PATIENCE and certainly and for sure, INTENTIONALITY. God has granted me the permission to make decisions. And these little decisions….good and bad….they define my destiny.
SO….where does this leave me? It is quite simple. AWARE and INTENTIONAL. But lighthearted in the midst. It is not with heavy feeling that I realize this. I am granted what I need for each step of the way. I simply want to BE PRESENT and ENJOY the journey. Again, trite. I know. BUT….so true. Allow the ups and downs. The steps forward and yes, the steps backwards. The highlights. The hard times. I will give and I will receive. Plan and look forward but all the while…embrace the ebb and flow of life.
Ten years ago, I didn’t understand that! So maybe I am actually growing up. Ha. At least a little. Kinda. Maybe I don’t actually need to grow up. Besides, what is the definition of “grown up”? If it is old and boring….then maybe I will always stay a kid. Even when I am old and gray and playing with my grand-kids…I will still wonder when I will be all grown up.
Corde, my baby, is two. Riley is eight…counting down the days until he turns nine next month. He has been talking about his birthday gift ever since summer. Adler is goofy and silly and quite absent minded…he is 7 with missing front teeth. Photo credit to ANDREA for many of these photos. I grabbed a few also.
Who said I need to grow up anyway? Eh?
TODAY I AM THANKFUL.
Today I am thankful for life. A life that I allows me to grow, dream, explore, love, and be. I have the luxury of making decisions, taking steps forward, run towards goals….and then put on the brakes when I feel the need to just stop. I am my own person. Each day 24 hours is given to me….and with that I am also given a choice. What I do, where I go, how I “see”, what I believe, how I love, give….who I am. And wow. In all honesty, that is incredible. A luxury. My life is what I make it. You know?
Today I am thankful for that. It is a luxury. A responsibility. Reality….whether I like it or not. I am blessed. And today I acknowledge that with a heart full of gratitude.
And I am thankful for how fun it is to celebrate a seven year old’s birthday! Adler turned seven this past week. Crazy, last I checked he was three.;)
INSPIRATION
INSPIRATION :: THE PROCESS OF BEING MENTALLY STIMULATED TO DO OR FEEL SOMETHING.
Recently I was asked….”What inspires you?” And well, it got me thinking. Ever since, I could not get the question off my brain.
Truly…inspired?
So this weekend I did a little experiment. I was intentionally aware of what inspires me. Or rather, I choose to do my weekend using all my senses. Life without inspiration is rather dull. I believe we are created to feel, live, and breathe with inspiration. Granted, at times life gets to be a lot…and inspiration falls by the wayside. We decide it is not necessary. Survival is all that matters. BUT… what I am learning is this…inspiration is simple. However, it does not just happen unless we leave room for it. Seek it. Watch for it. Be alert to it’s stirring. It takes a little intentionality. At times it may ask us to step outside of the safety of what is normal and routine. If left untouched and unsought..it does not come after us. BUT…if we stop for a minute, watch, see, walk towards it…it is all around us. In the most quiet, humble, beautiful way. A little inspiration breathes life into what was drab and bored. Inspiration….so simple. Yet so beautiful.
Bits of my weekend that I was inspired by…
Colors. The scent of autumn apples. Shapes and textures. My boy’s bright eyes. Boots now on my wish list. Cup of coffee at my kitchen table. Saturday night with Andrew (without kids!:). Movement. Calmness. People. Light. Emotion.
Know what else? Inspiration is contagious. Being around others that are inspired leave me inspired and wanting to seek even more inspiration of my own. It is a beautiful thing.
I wonder…how my day to day life would be different if I always allowed room for inspiration? If I choose to watch for it. Inspiration. I want to feel inspiration bursting at my seams. Exploding in my soul. I want to feel it’s boldness and it also it’s calm and quietness. I want to see it’s constant movement. Feel it’s breath on my cheeks. See it all around me.
Are you inspired today? What inspires you?
BAGS AND BOWS AND A GIVEAWAY!
I have something FUN and spontaneous for you today! Katie is a friend, fellow creative, and owner of a girl named katie. She is a sweetheart, her work is DARLING, and she is here today with a fabulous GIVEAWAY!
a girl named katie. is an indie handbag and accessory line. Everything is carefully handmade by Katie and a few of her dear friends. The fabric and supplies are purchased from other small businesses and sometimes even thrifted. They love natural fabrics and try to utilize them as much as possible. Katie designs and creates the patterns for the line around her two favorite details… BOWS and RUFFLES.
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Want some of the goodies for yourself? Awesome, ’cause that is what I am thinking too. a girl named katie. can currently be found at two locations, Goggle Works in Reading, PA and Five and Divine in Wernersville, PA. You might even see them at a local craft show! Online shopping your thing? Perfect. Then head on over to Katie’s WEBSITE and the ETSY SHOP. Check it out…there is lot of goodness over there!
The fall and winter lines are coming soon! Both collections will be limited editions.
You needing a little fun inspiration? Then I have just what you need! Follow a girl named katie’s BLOG for indie inspiration and DIY projects. Keep up with the latest by liking their FACEBOOK page.
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GIVEAWAY!!!
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- CHEETAH HIPSTER BAG with a bow, of course! Cross-body with a flap front and a detachable strap. If you remove the strap you have an instant clutch!
- And hey, it is FALL and I love fall…so let’s add in a $10 STARBUCKS card compliments of CHAR Photography. Pumpkin Spice Lattes…can’t help it, I am a sucker.
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To Enter there ONLY TWO simple steps:
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1. Like a girl named katie. on FACEBOOK.
2. Take a quick survey to help them know what you are looking for in a handbag. The survey is taken right on a girl named katie’s Facebook page. Find the SURVEY HERE. Only those who finish the survey will be entered to win.
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The GIVEAWAY ends at midnight this Saturday, October 20th. So get on over there and enter!:)
FALL AND FAMILY
I recently heard a quote, “Don’t get so busy making a living you forget to make a life.”
Making a life to me, this past weekend, consisted of muddy shoes, bike rides, fall scented air, raindrops, campfire stories, burnt marshmallows, salamanders, crammed into a tent restless sleep, dirty faces, flashlights, leaves crunching, amazing scenery, time away, and a Sunday afternoon ‘no place like home’ celebration.
Making a life….what does that mean to you?
THINKING…
Quiet. Peaceful. Rain. Time to think. Does not happen too often these days. I have been in survival mode….just doing what needs to be done. Homework, client meetings, dinner, shoots, pickup house….my brain is in to-do list mode. When this happens, my creativity starts suffering….and I lose my ability to think past what needs to be done the next moment. Not good. For many reasons.
Inspiration. For LIFE. Comes in many forms. But I need to P.A.U.S.E. and give it room to be there. Inspiration never forces it’s way in. Pause. See, hear, taste life around me. Appreciate. The rain hitting the sidewalk. Corde’s baby smell. Jumping under the covers for a few more delicious minutes. Calm assurance of dear friends. Sweet apples from the local orchard. A smile given freely. A quiet house. It’s inspiration. Inspiration keeps me grounded.
I am thinking….It takes INTENTIONALITY to pause, appreciate, and savor.
ANDREA AND HER FAMILY:)
Andrea has been so wonderful to work with this past year! I love everything about her upbeat personality, her easy laugh, and her enthusiasm to ‘make it happen’! This past spring Andrea and I swapped family sessions. Her girls are so stinking adorable! After jean shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers…I always get a little envious of how much fun little girls are to dress! Sooo many options. Andrea has been working with me on wedding days and also shooting senior sessions. Coming up soon here on the blog will be several seniors Andrea photographed this past week! ANDREA….your the best. Thank-YOU for being so wonderful. Seriously.
So Pretty!!!
